Mercer County Community College (MCCC) and its president Dr. Jianping Wang is under fire for what ousted former vice president of academic affairs Dr. James Brandon Shaw alleges is unlawful racial discrimination, according to a lawsuit filed April 30 in the Superior Court of New Jersey.
Shaw’s lawsuit alleges that MCCC and Wang racially discriminated against him when they decided to not reappoint him for the 2019-20 academic year, effectively terminating his employment as vice president. The suit follows a no-confidence vote and statement by MCCC’s Faculty Association in which faculty say Wang “grievously mismanaged” operations of the college.
“Dr. Shaw is very appreciative of the faculty’s ‘No Confidence’ vote and finds it significant that the vote was announced the day after the president announced to the college community that she would not be renewing his contract for the next academic year,” said Shaw’s attorney Patricia Barasch in an email. “Dr. Shaw states that Mercer County Community College has an extremely dedicated and strong faculty, and he has been honored to work alongside them on college and statewide initiatives.”
Shaw joined MCCC in March 2018 on the unanimous recommendation of a search committee although Wang wanted to hire a White male for the role, the lawsuit said. He was reappointed as vice president for academic affairs in June 2018.
Shaw’s suit noted that he had not received any notice or documentation that his performance as vice president was “in any way problematic, or that there were any concerns about his performance,” the lawsuit said. “To the contrary, [Shaw] was highly regarded by administrators, staff and students alike for his leadership, integrity, collegial engagement and dedication to students.”
As Shaw continued to serve in his role, conflict with Wang ensued.
Earlier this year, the president attempted to bypass an internal hire recommendation provided by Shaw, the Dean’s Council and a search committee for the position of dean of the James Kerney Campus in Trenton, N.J. While Shaw was out of the office, Wang requested that Shaw’s executive assistant at the time, Laureen Meyer, compose a memo on Shaw’s behalf recommending the non-internal candidate that was not recommended, the lawsuit said.
